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Church of Morrow
The '''Church of Morrow '''is a religious institution in the Iron Kingdoms dedicated to the worship of Morrow as well as administrating the Morrowan faith and spreading the teachings of Morrow. The Morrowan faith emphasizes the individual as a potential agency of good and stresses how each person can contribute to society. Its beliefs resonate with people in many walks of life and social strata, advocating improvement through self-reflection, good works, honorable conduct, and self-sacrifice.Iron Kingdoms Full Metal Fantasy RPG Core Rules The Morrowan faith has growth to become the dominant religion in the Human kingdoms surpassing the Temple of Menoth. Morrowans are the majority in all human nations except the Protectorate of Menoth. The Church of Morrow is also recognized as the state religion in Cygnar and Ord as well as Llael before its fall. History Two human siblings Morrow and Thamar also known as "The Twins" were born in 1930 BR in Caspia. During this time Menite faith dominated with priests advising kings or even being regional rulers and the scrutators enforced the rule of law and the True Law governed all aspects of life. Morrow while raised as a Menite and respecting Menoth for his gifts, challenged the tyranny of the priesthood and the way they interpreted the True Law. Morrow was known for his oratory skills and charismatic leadership. He aided the less fortunate and preached that living a good life required more than obeying the True Law, such as benevolence, mercy, compassion, and self-sacrifice. By reflection and a deep understanding of the world a mortal could transcend the flesh, unlocking the limitless potential of the immortal soul which could then be wielded to the betterment of all. He also preached on finding honor in dark times based on the horrors he faced during a decade of serving as a soldier. Attempts by scrutators to brutally suppress the growing cults of Morrow and Thamar resulted in Morrow and Thamar uniting and taking over Caspia in a battle in 1900 BR. However Thamar's execution of the Priest-King resulted in her exile only to return in1894 BR alongside an army of rebels embittered with Morrow. Morrow sacrificed himself to save the city from Thamar resulting in his ascension in front of the masses, who killed Thamar who also ascended leaving her writings behind. Laertes Prado, one of Morrow's disciples collected Thamar’s written works to destroy them, but an apparition of Morrow instructed to bind his own writings with Thamar’s, insisting his sister’s words should be preserved alongside his own in the Enkheiridion to illustrate the Volition, encompassing both of their choices—in her writings were lessons as important to those who would come after as his own were. The Purging Word of their respective ascensions spread despite efforts by the Menite scrutators to repress it. This era became known as the "The Purging" as the Menites destroyed entire communities and forced Morrowans into hiding to stop the spread of the new religion. Caspia was reclaimed in 1882 BR and Laertes Prado was publicly tortured and executed. Prado hid the original Enkheiridion but copies had been transcribed by hand and were preserved by priests fleeing the city. In 1866 BR, a priest named Nolland Orellius claiming to be guided by Morrow founded the Divinium, a fortified monastery deep in the Wyrmwall Mountains to preserve the writings and teachings of the Twins. Orellius became the first primarch of the Church. Under his direction the church hierarchy took shape while its clergy organized efforts to hide the faithful from Menite scrutators. During his death Morrow appeared to usher his soul to the afterlife, thus Orellius became the first Archon of Morrow, an angelic spirit who would assist the god in Urcaen. A week later Orellius manifested before Orellius’ successor as a sign of Morrow’s favor. From that point forward, every primarch after death has become an archon to join a growing host working to fulfill the will of Morrow. After the passing of the old, each new primarch has been signified by a manifestation of one or more archons as an unequivocal sign of Morrow’s guiding hand. Morrow was named the Prophet, as through the archons he passed down prophecies to the faithful, as well as other momentous portents. They would be further joined by the Ascendants, Morrow’s first ascendant was a shield-maiden of noble birth from the Skirov tribes named Katrena who heard Morrow's message and joined the fledgling church at the Divinium. She inspired others to take up arms to defend the faith. Katrena protected the church’s priests, including those brave enough to spread its teachings despite the Menite scrutators hunting them. She ultimately died and ascended in 1810 BR protecting the third primarch, Orestus I, from assassination. At the sight of her ascension, the assassins dropped their weapons and converted to the faith. However as ascendants as well as scions of Thamar began to appear and followers of the Twins began to increase specially in ruling families the scrutators found it difficult to suppress the new religions. After ascendant Solovin’s ascension a Menite delegation was invited to meet with Morrowan leaders at the Divinium, however the menites had no intention of reaching an accord. Khorva a devout Thamarite, after seeing visions from Thamar took a contract to assassinate the Primearch. Impersonating as scrutator Sicarius, she joined the delegation. She was able to get close enough to Primarch Loriachas during the negotiations to strike him down setting in motion a chain of divine manifestations. Ascendant Katrena appeared in a blaze of silver light to avenge the primarch and killed Khorva. Suddenly Thamar appeared to claim Khorva’s soul as she in turn ascended. Katrena and Thamar seemed poised to do battle when himself Morrow manifested for the soul of his primarch, now become an archon. These divinities clashed briefly before both sides vanished in a blinding flash.As a result of the manifestations a councils of visgoths assembled and doctrine was written in 1247 BR to explain these events to the satisfaction of the Menite temples, allowing the Menites to reach a grudging accord with the Morrowan faith. They claimed that Menoth had allowed Morrow’s divinity by way of an accommodation whereby Morrow knelt to Menoth as his Creator. Morrow is said to have been given sanction to shepherd those who worshiped him, so long as he stood as guardian against the perfidy of his sister. Further, his followers were required to acknowledge the Creator, attend Menite services, and pay tithes to the temple. This theological accommodation allowed Morrowans to worship openly and to build churches of their faith. Growth and the Orgoth Invasion A prodigious scholar, historian, and linguist named Angellia was able to recover the original Enkheiridion from a forgotten vault in Caspia as well as the writings of Prado describing the ascension of the Twins. She also translated the Enkheiridion into the Caspian of the day and wrote many theological works that would guide the Morrowan Church for centuries which resulted in her ascension in 1027 BR. Invention of the printing press by a morrowan named Janus Gilder also allowed the Church of Morrow to disseminate its doctrines further. In 712 BR the Church of Morrow decided to move the primarch and the Exordeum to the Sancteum within Caspia. Construction began on the Archcourt Cathedral, the greatest work of architecture of the era. Designed by a genius named Sambert the Archcourt Cathedral was a building like no others with flying buttresses and spires admired even by the city’s Menites as a testament to the unassailable hold of civilization. Sambert ascended in 605 BR upon completion of his great statue of Morrow. The arrival of the Orgoth brought dark times to Immoren and the Morrwans and Menites united to resist the invasion couldn't stop the Orgoth from annexing the human kingdoms. Caspia stood defiant protected by the walls and after the death of its king the leaders of the two religions rallied the defenders.Orgoth warlord Kolegzein IV sent a messenger to Caspia, asking for these religious leaders to meet him to negotiate terms. The Morrowan Primarch Gallumus and the Menite Hierarch Sadron IV went forth in their full splendor to speak with the Orgoth warlord. The spiritual leaders of Caspia were taken captive despite flag of truce and hauled within sight of Caspia’s walls, where its defenders watched on. After a speech Kolegzein cut the throats of the primarch and hierarch and drank their blood. Their corpses were bled dry and dangled on gallows by ropes made from the hair of their own escorting priests within sight of Caspia’s walls until their bones were picked clean by carrion birds and fell untouched to the earth. No holy manifestation or wrathful smiting by either Menoth or Morrow happened and the defenders quailed behind the walls thinking their gods had forsaken them or were powerless against the vast evil embodied in the Orgoth. Orgoth did not attempt to repress the local religions but the Menite faith suffered due to the priests losing the political power they enjoyed for so long. By contrast, the Morrowan message continued to spread becoming the dominant religion, and its humbler churches and priests were seen as a comfort to the oppressed. Ascendant Rowan was born into a family that collaborated with the Orgoth, however she renounced her privilages and gave her life to aiding the suffering and making life more comfortable for the masses. Her actions resulted in many collaborators giving up their power and the lives of the enslaved improved. She ascended in 289 BR and many menites converted to Morrowan faith as a result. But near the end of the Occupation era the Orgoth suddenly began repressive measures and persecution of region With the "Gift of Magic" the church faced another dilemma. Menites however considered this a betrayal of Menoth by the Twins. The Orgoth also carried out the Vicarate Slaughter executing over five hundred Morrowan priests. The actions of Corben an arcanists and alchemist in creating a cure to the Rip Lung plague which devastated both Immorese and Orgoth populations as well as his ascension convinced the church to accept arcanists as well as protect them from the Orgoth. These arcanists would play a major role in the rebellion and the eventual overthrowing of the Orgoth. Era of the Iron Kingdoms By the end of the Orgoth occupation the Church of Morrow had become the dominant religion among mankind and the Church further grew in power with Cygnar declaring it the state religion during Malagant’s era and the forces of the church often fight alongside the Cygnaran military. The current Empress of Khador is also a devout Morrowan and the church has grown into a major power with its own military forces and spies. However the Church faces many challenges and threats specially the rise of the Protectorate of Menoth, a menite theocracy that believe the Morrowan faith usurped the rightful place of the Creator to gain influence over most of western Immoren. Organization The Church of Morrow has an extremely cohesive and inclusive hierarchy, allowing it to function as a single body despite being spread across multiple nations and being arguably the most pervasive human organization in western Immoren. While there are many individual interpretations of Morrow’s message with the exception of a few radical ones nearly all are welcomed into the larger hierarchy and individual priests within the hierarchy are given considerable leeway in following their own paths to enlightenment and finding a personal connection to Morrow and his ascendants. Individual churches are similarly given considerable autonomy but are supported by the larger hierarchy. Such a large organization requires a sizable bureaucracy, handled by priests with an aptitude for administration as well as pious laypersons chosen for the task. The leader of the Church of Morrow is the Primarch, who rules from the Archcourt Cathedral in the Sancteum, which is his ecclesiastical seat. Primarch is a lifelong position, and new primarchs are elevated only after the death of their predecessors. They are selected through a display of divine approval that includes a manifestation of archons representing the Host of Morrow. The primarch is aided in governing the church by the Exordeum, a governing body of thirty-six leading priests with the lifelong rank of Exarch who manage the majority of day-to-day matters. While they also convene and dwell within the Sancteum, the exarchs are drawn from across the Iron Kingdoms and include prominent members from Khador, Ord, and the Llaelese region. Exarchs are appointed by the primarch to replace those who die or, rarely, those who withdraw from the post. The dictates and decrees of the Exordeum are passed to vicars who are the seniormost priests dwelling outside the Sancteum and who oversee sizable regions called vicarates. Most vicars are organized into Vicarate Councils, each composed of seven vicars, which are present in many major cities, including: Caspia, Ceryl, Fharin, and Mercir in Cygnar; Merywyn in Llael; Merin in Ord; and Khardov, Korsk, Ohk, and Skirov in Khador. Answering to these councils are the prelates and high prelates who oversee Church business in individual cities and towns, taking care to ensure myriad smaller churches are adequately staffed and tending to the faithful. The church also counts among its membership hundreds of battle-chaplains, members of the military in multiple nations who serve as soldiers while performing church services, tending to the injured, and providing last rites. Organisations A number of specialized groups and orders serve the Church. Such as, * Dozens of regional martial orders that protect holy grounds and cathedrals, one of the most prominent being the Precursor Knights of Cygnar. * Order of Keeping - a monastic and reclusive branch interested in the preservation and protection of the Church’s greatest relics and secrets, and its well-armed and armored knights sometimes serve as bodyguards for high-ranking priests. * Order of Illumination - A powerful and militant group of witch-hunters and pious arcanists. * Dargule’s Mice - The intelligence gathering network controlled by Exarch Dargule Doctrine References Category:Religion Category:Church of Morrow